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The Medieval Church · c. 960–990
The Exeter Book
Anonymous
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What it is
The largest surviving collection of Old English poetry: the Christ poems, The Wanderer, The Seafarer, and ninety-odd riddles ranging from the devout to the frankly obscene.
Why it lasted
Without it, most Old English lyric poetry would not exist. It later served as a chopping board and a beer mat, and the stains are still there.
Where to read it
Public domain and free to read in full, though not held here. The archives below have it.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
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